Like a Rolling Stone
A 1965 Bob Dylan song whose electric arrangement and lyrics about a fallen socialite helped reshape expectations for popular music.
Bob Dylan: An American singer-songwriter whose influential songs combine literary lyrics with folk, rock, and other musical traditions. Dylan wrote and recorded the song, shaping its voice and sound.
Electric rock: Rock music centered on amplified instruments, especially electric guitar, bass, and keyboards. Its amplified ensemble marked a conspicuous departure from Dylan’s acoustic folk sound.
Bob Dylan recording sessions: Studio sessions in which Bob Dylan recorded songs for his albums and singles. The April 1965 sessions produced the song’s landmark electric recording.
Rock album: A long-form collection of rock songs released as a unified record, rather than chiefly as a set of singles. Its success helped strengthen the idea that rock songs could sustain album-scale ambition.
Acoustic guitar: A guitar that produces sound through vibrating strings resonating in its hollow body, without electronic amplification. The instrument represents the acoustic folk setting that Dylan’s electric recording departed from.
Al Kooper: An American musician and songwriter who played keyboards on recordings by Bob Dylan and founded Blood, Sweat & Tears. His improvised organ part became one of the recording’s defining sounds.
Organ (music): Music made with an organ, an instrument that sustains tones through keyboards, pipes, or electronic sound generation. Kooper’s sustained organ lines weave through the song’s verses and refrains.
Newport Folk Festival: An American folk music festival founded in 1959 in Newport, Rhode Island. Dylan’s electric performance there later became a flashpoint in debates about his musical direction.
Rolling Stone: An American magazine covering music, politics, and popular culture, founded in 1967. The magazine’s title alludes to the song’s phrase and its cultural resonance.
Folk music: Music rooted in traditional songs and practices, often transmitted across generations or adapted by contemporary performers. Some folk audiences heard electric instrumentation as a break with the movement’s acoustic conventions.